Which Rope Breaks? A Study of Tension Distribution in Multi-Rope Systems

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Autori principali: Eskandari-asl, Amir, De Luca, Roberto
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Eskandari-asl, Amir
De Luca, Roberto
author_facet Eskandari-asl, Amir
De Luca, Roberto
contents We investigate the tension distribution in systems of mass-less ropes under different loading conditions. For a two-rope system, we demonstrate how the breaking scenario depends on the applied force dynamics: rapid pulling causes the lower rope to break, while gradual pulling leads to upper rope failure. Extending to a three-rope Y-shaped configuration, we identify a critical angle $θ_{C}=60^{\circ}$ that determines which rope breaks first. When the angle between the upper ropes exceeds this critical value, the upper ropes fail before the lower one. We further analyze how an attached mass at the junction point modifies this critical angle and establish maximum mass limits for valid solutions. Our results provide practical insights for introductory physics students understanding static forces and system stabilities.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_09973
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Which Rope Breaks? A Study of Tension Distribution in Multi-Rope Systems
Eskandari-asl, Amir
De Luca, Roberto
Physics Education
Classical Physics
Popular Physics
We investigate the tension distribution in systems of mass-less ropes under different loading conditions. For a two-rope system, we demonstrate how the breaking scenario depends on the applied force dynamics: rapid pulling causes the lower rope to break, while gradual pulling leads to upper rope failure. Extending to a three-rope Y-shaped configuration, we identify a critical angle $θ_{C}=60^{\circ}$ that determines which rope breaks first. When the angle between the upper ropes exceeds this critical value, the upper ropes fail before the lower one. We further analyze how an attached mass at the junction point modifies this critical angle and establish maximum mass limits for valid solutions. Our results provide practical insights for introductory physics students understanding static forces and system stabilities.
title Which Rope Breaks? A Study of Tension Distribution in Multi-Rope Systems
topic Physics Education
Classical Physics
Popular Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.09973